SLCT. HI. CHEMICAL PHENOMENA. 3$ 



were made to germinate, it was found that if 14 

 cubic inches of carbonic acid gas were formed 

 during the process, seven cubic inches of oxygene 

 gas remained uncombined in the atmosphere ; and 

 if sever* cubic inches of carbon acid gas were formed 

 during the process, then 14 cubic inches of oxygene 

 gas remained uncombined in the receiver. From 

 which it followed, undeniably, that the quantity of 

 carbonic acid gas that was evolved during the process 

 of germination was precisely equal to the quantity that 

 had been absorbed during the same process. There Whose 

 was consequently no actual fixation of oxygene in confirmel 

 the seed ; and the oxygene it had inhaled was em- 

 ployed solely for the purpose of diminishing the 

 quantity of its carbon. The change then effected 

 in the farina of the albumen or cotyledons, by which 

 it is converted into a nutriment fit for the infant 

 plant, consists in diminishing the proportion of its 

 carbon, and in augmenting, by consequence, that of 

 its oxygene and hydrogene principles which the 

 seed is also known to possess.* 



It had been ascertained that seeds may be made Germina- 



r tion in 



to germinate in an atmosphere or pure oxygene gas ; pure O xy* 

 and from the experiments of M. Humboldt it ap- S ene - 

 peared that their germination is thus sooner effected 

 than in an atmosphere of common air. But Saussure> 

 in repeating some comparative experiments on this 

 subject, did not find any difference in the respective 

 periods of germination. The only perceptible dif- 



* Saussure sur la Vegetation, chjp. i. sect. iii. 

 VOL. II. D 



